When it comes to gaming innovation, Nintendo takes the cake. During the Nintendo Wii era, things like Wii Wheels, Balance Boards, Remotes and Motion Pluses littered houses around the world because of incremental improvements on motion-sensing tech and new ways to interact with games. One title in particular, Wii Fit, revolutionized the way a lot of us looked at working out and staying healthy.
But in the years since Wii Fit's release, self-improvement and workout-based products have skyrocketed onto the scene. Things like the Apple Watch, FitBit and Peloton launched, gamifying the way we work out. So, it came as a bit of surprise that in 2019, 11 years after the meteoric success of Wii Fit, that Nintendo would launch a new type of workout game: Ring Fit Adventure.
Utilizing the IR cameras, gyroscopes and HD rumble of the Nintendo Switch Joy-Con controllers, Ring Fit Adventure turns a simple workout into a level-based role-playing game. The main quirk of the game is its pack-in of the Ring-Con, a circular controller base that it basically a pilates ring, but with a slot for a Joy-Con. You'll slide the other Joy-Con into an included leg stray accessory as an additional monitor. These two work in sync to provide a fairly ample workout routine that sense things like pace, distance, lift and even heart rate.
But the game itself is where Ring Fit Adventure sets itself apart from other workout "games." That's because it actually has a full-blown story mode, where you, the player character, find a sentient ring and accidentally unleash an unspeakable evil in the form of an extremely swole dragon. The plot is wacky, but totally in tune with its own lore, and makes for a fun setup as to why you're platforming, collecting coins and working out.
In each level, you'll run or jog in place to move forward throughout on-rails levels. Don't worry, if you live in an apartment or a living space where you can't make too much noise, there's a silent mode that lets you trade that running for additional squats to move forward. While running, you'll push and pull on the Ring-Con to do things like bounce and float upward, suck in coins like a vacuum and fling fire at enemies. But the real fun in Ring Fit Adventure is through the battles.
This is where the game turns into a turn-based battler, where you select different workouts (each with a one turn cooldown) and complete reps to damage enemies. You'll be doing squats, sit-ups, yoga poses and more as you chip away the health of mobs and later bosses. And the game's story is actually fairly lengthy, with plenty of variety in the landscape to keep you engaged. It helps that the visuals are pretty wonderful, and a cool, painting-esque art style helps with relaxation when you're cooling down from a rough session. Seriously, the game looks great, and that's surprising for a workout title.
In addition to the game's campaign, you can also run through solo sessions of specific workouts. Just want to practice your yoga poses? The game makes it easy to jump into it. There are even difficulty settings that will adjust goals across the board for you, and they make it simple to ramp up if you feel yourself itching for the next level.
Speaking of progress, Ring Fit Adventure keeps track of everything. Once you set your goal, you can review everything from number of reps to distance traveled to calories burned. There's even an option to check your heart rate through the Joy-Con IR sensor after your workouts. While there's certainly a margin of error, the game uses the Nintendo Switch's varied tech to build something truly surprising -- and incredibly useful.
Let's say you bring a game like this home for the holidays, but there's a member of your family that's not really into video games. Well, there's also an offline mode packed in, where you can use the Ring-Con to measure reps and track caloric burn even without turning the Nintendo Switch on. You'll just have to check into the game's menu to review your stats. It also means you can have smaller workouts throughout the day, whether you're watching television or working, rather than having to go all out on a session.
As far as workout games go, Ring Fit Adventure goes above and beyond in terms of polish. Not only is it a great way to workout, but it's also extremely fun and addicting. It's one of those games you just can't imagine being possible without that pinch of innovation that Nintendo is known for. If you're hard-pressed to find a gift for a Nintendo Switch owner this holiday, consider Ring Fit Adventure. Just don't blame us when you or someone you love gets totally swole.
Ring Fit Adventure is now available for the Nintendo Switch. A review copy was provided by the publisher.